Flying

In a recent discussion of sports with my British colleague Charles Alcock, he talked about England's historic admiration for what he described as the "gifted amateur." This was illustrated best in the 1981 movie Chariots of Fire, the story of Harold Abrahams, the gold-medal winner in the 100-meter dash at the 1924 Olympics.

A couple of years from now, will you be zipping around between meetings on one of the new very light jets? Assuming you already fly privately, the answer is probably no, according to many of the panelists at the recent Business Models for VLJs and Light Jets, a sold-out two-day conference in West Palm Beach, Fla.

The Citation V/Ultra is perhaps the best example of Cessna's well-honed ability to continually evolve a time-tested airframe into a market-leading workhorse. Based on the wildly popular Citation II, which entered production in 1977, the Ultra adds a slightly stretched fuselage, a plush interior, a more efficient high-speed wing, more powerful engines and updated avionics.

If your car is less than 10 years old, there might be a little computer buried somewhere inside that records events. If you're in a crash, the police, the insurance adjustor, or maybe even the National Transportation Safety Board will retrieve that computer, download its data and use it to figure out exactly what happened.

In the years that I've written for Business Jet Traveler, I've discussed nearly everything that affects your choices as a charter user. There's at least one factor I haven't covered, though: the FBO or fixed-base operator, through whose lobby you pass to board your charter jet.

The fractional aircraft business is fascinating, in part because it is founded upon several myths, partial-truths and artificial constructs that are both pleasing for owners and profitable for providers. In many ways, fractional flying is more akin to using an executive airline than to owning a whole aircraft.

With new business jet delivery slots stretching out as far as 2015 and acquisition costs hitting the high side of $40 million, a growing number of buyers are foregoing factory-fresh models in favor of refurbished used airplanes at a fraction of the cost.

All takeoffs are optional but all landings are mandatory.
It's one of those clever dark-humor catchphrases that permeate aviation and it speaks an unerring truth. Once you break ground and clear the security of the runway, you've left behind the one option that absolutely guarantees you will not have an airplane crash today.

Quote/Unquote

““[Bill Gates] has been historically one of my best supporters…One of my favorite e-mails he ever sent me…I proposed this crazy project. And he sent back this two-line response: ‘This has got to be the craziest thing you’ve ever suggested. Please proceed.’”
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